Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 20th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2014) is based on more than 4.3 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

The lawyers honored as "Lawyer of the Year" have received particularly high ratings in the Best Lawyers surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.